The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has developed a highly promising herbal drug for the prevention and treatment of cataract, an illness prevalent in developing countries. The international marketing rights of the drug have been clinched by the Delhi based Promed Exports Pvt Ltd, it is learnt. The National Research Development Corporation (NRDC), which has the mandate to facilitate such deals for commercialization of technology between government research institutions and private partners, is known to be in the process of completing the required formalities.

The research on the drug was carried out with the financial support from the Department of Science and Technology. DST had funded cataract research under the Vision 2020 programme of its Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC). Eye related disorders were identified as one of the major 8 diseases under the healthcare based vision document of TIFAC. Since Cataract is one of the leading causes of visual disability in the elderly population, DST decided to aid the ongoing cataract research in AIIMS five years ago.

Promed Exports is planning to manufacture the drugs for both export and domestic marketing. The company, a recognized export house, is actively into the production of herbal drugs and ophthalmic solutions, it is learnt. The herbal division of the company was launched recently.

Confirming the major breakthrough, Dr S K Gupta, the lead investigator at AIIMS said that he and his team of doctors were working on developing herbal drug for cataract for about a decade now. Dr Gupta is the Head of the Department of Pharmacology, AIIMS.

"We were working on several medicines but decided to concentrate on the just three drugs after we received DST aid. The DST had sanctioned about Rs 27 lakh over the last five years to facilitate the research," he said. Thorough biochemical and molecular studies have also been carried out on the drug.

The herbs studied for its therapeutic value were Tulsi (ocimum sanctum), Haldi (curcuma longa), Neem (azadirachta indica), Green Tea (camellia sinensis) and Ashwagandha (withania somnifera). Besides, Lycopene a carotenoid freely available from tomato and its products and a potent antioxidant in nature was also studied for its anticataract potential. The aqueous extracts of these herbs were evaluated in different cataract models used globally.

According to Dr Gupta the eye drops were proved to have the capacity to delay the progression of the illness by 80 per cent. It was also proved to be an ideal way to prevent cataract. "Once the drug is made available, it can be prescribed for preventive use for every elderly person after a medical check up. The drug is certainly preventive and also curative in the case of early detections," he informed.

DST and AIIMS have jointly applied for three Indian patents for the anti-cataract activity of O. Sanctum, C. Longa and their combination. Three additional patents for the process of preparations of the above eye drops have also been filed.

Recent estimates of the World Health Organisation suggest that there are nearly 40 million people who are blind, worldwide, and that more than 90 per cent of them reside in the developing countries. Nearly one fifth of them are in India. Approximately the number of blind increased to nearly 13 million in India alone, it is learnt.